Variant of Gene found explains why Latin Americans higher risk of type 2 diabetes

rawstory.com reported…Scientists on Wednesday said they had found a variant of a gene to explain why Latin Americans are at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, and pointed to a possible DNA legacy from the Neanderthals. The variant lies on a gene called SLC16A11, which plays a part in breaking down fatty molecules called lipids, they said in the journal Nature. A research consortium called SIGMA — for the Slim Initiative in Genomic Medicine for the Americans — sought to understand why Type 2 diabetes in Mexicans and other Latin American populations is roughly twice as great as among non-Hispanic whites in the United States. Read Article